The Offer Still Stands
by Libbylou
Summary: Set after ‘A house is not a home’ aka 5th’s finally Rory’s not going to Yale anymore, but life at the Gilmore’s isn’t what she expected. What will she do to change that?
1. AIM Reunion

Set after 'A house is not a home' (aka 5th's finally) Rory's not going to Yale anymore, but life at the Gilmore's isn't what she expected. What will she do to change that?

Chapter one: aim reunion

Rory sat at her desk in the Gilmore pool house staring at her computer.

_Classes will be starting soon._ She thought.

Rory couldn't believe she had given up on school; the only thing she knew now was that she wasn't going back. Earlier that same month her and Logan broke up and her mom and her hadn't said more that ten words to each other all summer. She thought maybe her mom was mad at her or something so she just stopped calling after Lorelai stopped coming to Friday night dinners. Everything Rory had worked so hard to get, everything she thought she wanted was gone. Nothing in her life made any sense; she hadn't even gone back to stars hollow, the only place that always stayed the same, the only place that was always a comfort. It wasn't anymore. Nothing was, she was so depressed. Richard and Emily had tried everything to cheer her up, they even took her all across Europe, they tried the back-packing part too, but it did nothing. Not even a smile. Rory wasn't there anymore, her life seemed over. Richard and Emily were scared of what she might do, but they didn't want to tell Lorelai they had failed with her. There was nothing anyone could do. Rory just felt so alone, no mom, no Luke, no school, no Logan, no Stars Hollow. She couldn't even be around Lane, it was too sad to see she how happy Lane was and how depressed she was. No one could understand her.

_I'll ask Paris how school is._ Rory thought as she typed 'hey' to her friend

'Hey Rory' Paris typed back 'haven't heard from you in awhile'

'Yeah, been busy. How's school going?'

'Weird without you, g2g ttyl.'

'Yeah ttyl.' Paris signed off just as someone else says 'hey Rory' Rory was confused; she couldn't tell who it was.

'Hey, do I know you?' she asked

'Yeah, oh right you don't have this one, it's Jess.' _Jess?_ Rory thought as a smile stretched across her face.

'Hi, it's been awhile.'

'Yeah I know, how've you been.'

'Awful, you?'

'The same as always, what's so awful'

'What isn't, I broke up with my boyfriend, my mom hates me and I can't even go home cause I'm to ashamed to' she spilled out to him

'Why?'

'Dropped out of school.'

'What? Why?'

'I don't really know, can we talk about something else.' There was a long pause then he typed 'Yeah' the two talked for three and a half hours when Jess finally said he had to go to work. Rory got up and went to the mane house to get some food. She walked in and everyone was staring at her, she couldn't figure out why til' a maid said to her "Miss Gilmore, you're smiling." Rory thought for a moment as to how she should answer that.

"I guess I am." She announced to everyone as Emily entered the room.

"Guess you are what, Rory"

"Smiling." The maid told Emily proudly.

"Is she? You are, Rory you're smiling. Richard get in here!"

"What is it Emily?"

"What is it Emily." She scoffed "Oh it's nothing, just your granddaughter is smiling."

"You are? You are! Rory you're happy!" Richard exclaimed.

"Okay, calm down everyone. It's not that great."

"Yes it is, and may I ask what has put you in such a fine mood today." Emily asked Rory

"Jess" Rory answered as she bounced into the kitchen.

Rory and Jess talked for about two weeks before either one even mentioned the thought of school again. The two were talking about that first winter Jess came to Stars Hollow, and how he was the one who destroyed the snowman so that Rory could win.

'Don't lie you know you did.'

'Rory I swear to you no one can prove I did it.'

'Doesn't mean you didn't do it.'

'I never said I didn't do it.'

'Jess?'

'Yeah?'

'I don't know what to do with my life anymore.'

'You will soon.'

'I wanna get out of here; I don't wanna think about Yale. I don't know maybe I should just stay here.'

'Come here.' Jess types back right away.

'What, no Jess I…' she began to type but stopped. _I guess I can now._

'Are you sure?' she sent him

'Yeah, come, leave now, just go, don't tell anyone. I'll meet you at the bus station in New York.'

'I don't know are you sure I won't be a bother.'

'Yeah the offer still stands, come on pack your stuff.'

'Okay, see you in a little while.' She signed off, packed her stuff, left a note for her grandparents, and took off for the bus station.


	2. New York, New Life

**Thanks, everyone for all your encouragement, it means a lot. We got started on this chapter right away. We are sorry that it took so long; a lot of stuff has been going on lately. Okay so I know it is not what you expect from a die-hard RoryJess fanatic but I promise it will get better. I know a lot of thinking is not really, what you want to read but I think it is funny.**

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Chapter 2: New York, New Life

Rory's bus pulled into the station in New York City. Before getting off, she took a deep breath as if she knew what was coming.

"Hi" Jess called to her smiling.

"Jess" Rory said back clutching her two bags.

"This way…" Jess said gesturing toward the door as he took her bags.

"Thanks" She told him. He just smiled.

"So how was the ride?"

"Good…I mean it was ok…it wasn't horri…ble."

Jess chuckled and shook his head at Rory's obvious discomfort. The two walked out together when Rory's phone rang.

"Hello..." she answered.

"Rory, its mom. I was wondering what you were doing this weekend?"

"Um, well mom I'm a little busy. I'm kind of in New York… permanently."

"New York, why are you… Jess is with you."

"Yes, mom, Jess is with me."

"Okay." Lorelai hung up the phone before either one could say good-bye.

"She hates me." Rory declared

"She doesn't hate you… she hates me probably more now but hey who am I…"

"I went to jail." Rory said suddenly

"What?" Jess said in shock

"Didn't I tell you that? I went to jail… I stole a boat because my ex-boyfriend's dad said I couldn't work in a newspaper office."

"That's stupid you would do great in anything."

"No, that's just it I wasn't good and he saw it. I sucked at it, and now my mom hates me and I don't know what to do next. For the first time in my life I don't have anything to look forward to and I… I think I don't care." Rory said as she thought hard about it. "I need to not care; school is nothing and Yale…well it wasn't good enough. I officially have no ties to Connecticut. Connecticut what's that, it's just another state in the union for all I know. And Stars Hallow no clue."

"What, Stars Hallow, is that even a real place?" Jess added to her rant.

"Exactly." She said smiling at her old friend.

"Let's go." Jess said to her.

"Jess?" Rory asked as they got in a cab.

"Yeah?" He answered back.

"What are we? I mean are we a couple or are we just a couple of people?"

"Well we are a couple of people with or without the couple."

"Jess, I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Jess."

"I don't know. What do you want us to be?" He asked hinting at being a couple.

"I guess we're friends, yes we're friends." Rory told him.

"Oh." He said sounding disappointed. "I guess that's a good idea."

"Yeah since we'll be living together."

"Sure, hey so why exactly did you drop out of Yale?"

"When I realized that it was not going to be of any use to me I left."

"Oh…" Jess said in a barely audible voice. Then he directed his attention to the driver, "707 West Milnor St., please"

The driver was interested in this couple. Normally he would have taken a break to watch his Stories, but instead decided to listen to their conversation. He thought they would be much more entertaining than the soaps.

"My name is Larry, Larry Owen," he said to the two in the back seat.

"Hello," Rory droned back to him. Jess just nodded as the driver began the ride to their destination.

The cab driver had light brown hair, but Rory could only see a bit of it peeking out of his hat. 'What is it with cabbies and their hats?' As Rory looked into the mirror, she could se that his eyes were a pretty shade of blue. She could also tell that he was young and that he was not from New York. 'He doesn't have an accent. I wonder where he is from'

Then a silence fell onto the cab. Rory was used to silence from Jess; Jess was not used to the same from Rory. He felt a little awkward about her situation. He hadn't known that she was arrested until just now.

'Wow I must be rubbing off on her more than I thought.'

The only noticeable change in his countenance was the tiny smile that crept upon his lips.

'Or maybe it was her new old boyfriend'

And just like that the smile was gone.

'Rory deserves better than this man, pull yourself together. Just tell her and get it over with, maybe she will come with you…maybe she will think you are stupid, and hate you forever…Dude you are not helping…Did I just say "dude" in my head…uhhhh, do I have to answer that?'

Jess shuddered and shook his head.

'Interior monologues suck.'

Rory was not excited about the silent ride. If she was not talking, she was able to actually think, which in her current predicament was not good.

'OH NO I am in New York. I left home, I am moving in with Jess! Uh, uh, uh, think of something to say idiot. Talking good thinking bad… C'mon you are smart say something aloud. OOO…ice cream'

"I have some at my place; we can eat it when we get there"

Rory was shaken out of her thoughts by Jess's comment.

'What so now he's a mind reader too'

"No I am not a mind reader; you said 'OOO…ice cream out loud."

"So how did you know I thought you were a mind reader? Huh?"

"You said that too."

"Oh"

Silence again.

'She is being really defensive…Just tell her off…No she is going through a hard time be nice. Good idea, be nice…Nice is that even in your vocabulary?...Why do I always second-guess myself when she is around?'

'Ugh, think Rory think…oh I know, what has Jess been doing this past year? See, I am smart'

"So Jess what have you been up to this past year, when we were on-line we only talked about me."

"Same old, same old."

"Ok, what does that mean?"

"You know."

"No, I actually don't." Rory said with an air of exasperation. 'Damn his monosyllabism'

'Why does she want to know what you have been doing?...to mock you…Screw you…Did I just tell myself to screw myself?'

"Wait, Rory, what did you say?"

"Huh…nothing."

'That was close. Why is he being all secretive…Of course, he's moved on. He has a girlfriend and he doesn't want to hurt me…But I had Logan…He doesn't want to rub it in my face that his relationship is working and mine failed because I stole a boat and my boyfriend's dad made me drop out of school and I moved in with my grandparents but left and moved to New York with my ex-boyfriend who currently has a girlfriend, boy will this be awkward. AHHHH, I JUST MOVED TO NEW YORK, I AM LIVING IN NEW YORK! I wonder if Jess's girlfriend is pretty.'

'Why would I tell myself that?...I only say that to other people. Ok, you shut up…I have officially gone crazy. Pull yourself together…she needs you. Just tell her, she will understand…right?'

'I bet her name is Missy. He seems like the type of guy who'd date a Missy…New York is really pretty…Look native New Yorkers…Wait I am a native New Yorker…Cool.'

"Jess, where do we live?" Rory inquired still looking out the window.

"It is not far from here," Jess replied engrossed in counting the number of stains on the floor of the cab.

'12-13-14-15… "It is not far from here" 16-17-18…Ok when we get there don't forget to hold the door…Got it.'

The cab stopped in front of the address Jess gave to the cabbie. Jess quickly jumped from the cab and bounded around to the other side just as Rory closed her door. Jess looked defeated.

"What, Jess, what is it?"

"Nothing," Jess said as the cab with a laughing driver drove away. He had never had such funny clients. All they did was look out the window and make weird faces, as if they were talking to themselves. It was the highlight of his day, much better than the soaps.

Jess took Rory's bags and held the door of the building for her as she walked out of her old life and in to her new one.

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**Ooooo, what a great chapter ending line. Ha ha. Anyway, a few comments**

**I know some of you are thinking, "Huh they never acted like that on the show." But see I think Jess is always insecure especially around Rory, he just doesn't show it on the outside. And Rory has had some rants in her day, its just that this one is in her head.**

**There will never be this much thinking in this story again**

**Larry Owen is our character, we own him, and his name comes from two of our favorite lesser known BtVS guys: Larry and Owen.**

**Neither of us has ever been to NYC and 707 West Milnor St. is made up. If there is such a place in NYC these are not the same thing.**

**Gilmore Girls and all related to it do not and will not belong to us…ever.**

**And finally, after you review we thought it would be cool if you told us about what you think will happen in this story, or what you want to happen. We are open to suggestions, and will of course give you credit for them.**


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